Extrasensory
by CircleTime
Summary: "Never reveal your talent," Bella's father warned. "There are a lot of dangerous people out there." No problem. She didn't want the rest of the world to know she was a freak. What if, when she transferred to a new grad program, someone discovered her secret? Entry for the "Meet the Mate" Contest.


Bella groaned when she walked in the lecture hall door and saw the sea of faces. Why on earth she had to take Research Methods _again_ she had no idea. Somehow the "A" from her other college didn't transfer.

She hated large classes. Too many people, too many distracting emotions. Normally she was able to tune them out, but this morning began with a broken umbrella in the pouring rain, and went downhill from there. What a way to start her first day of grad school.

Trudging up the polished concrete steps of the lecture hall, Bella scanned idly for a seat. She preferred to be in a central row, close to a wall. There she could remain anonymous, neither in the front nor in the back. _Ah, there's a good spot_ , she thought. _No one too close by_.

Unfortunately, she was so focused on her goal that she failed to notice the straps of the black backpack protruding into the aisle. Her booted foot tangled in them and she stumbled, her own backpack swinging forward and clouting one of her fellow students in the head. Some of the hot coffee in her hand splashed onto the ground. _At least it didn't land on someone_ , she thought gratefully.

"Sorry. Are you OK?" Bella could feel her face flushing in embarrassment. Really, could this morning get any worse? _Don't ask, Bella_.

"Watch where you're going," the irate head-clout victim growled.

Indignation burned away all sympathetic thoughts for the blond, pony-tailed guy. If he hadn't had his stupid backpack in the aisle in the first place…the jerk _needed_ a good smack in the head.

Bella kept her irritable thoughts to herself. To her surprise, she heard a faint chuckle somewhere from a few tiers below her. Great, now someone was laughing at her. She gratefully took the napkin that another student offered, sopped up the coffee, and made her way to her seat.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Bella pulled her notebook and pen from her own navy backpack, flipped down the pseudowood half desk, and settled back into the ubiquitous lecture hall gray padded chair.

Forty minutes into the lecture, Bella's attention wandered. Most of the other students were busy scribbling or typing notes, but for her this was all old material. _Perhaps I can convince the professor to let me take the final exam now_ , she mused.

In the back of her mind she perused the emotions around her. Nothing new. Some bored, some confused, the majority intent on following the problem being presented on the board. Pony-tail guy wasn't even paying attention – he was busy texting. _My hypothesis is that, within a confidence interval of ninety-five percent, Pony-tailed Jerk will fail the class_.

A jolt of amusement shot through Bella. _What was that? That wasn't me._ Normally other people's emotions were somewhat blurry to her, but this was so clear and strong.

Now Bella sensed confusion, then curiosity. Who _was_ that? The woman two seats from her? Bella focused her attention on her. _No, she's not the one_. Besides that, her instincts told her that those strangely clear emotions came from a man. She hoped it wasn't Pony-tailed Jerk.

Now the curiosity became tinged with wariness. It was almost as if the man reacted to what she thought. Not to her emotions, but to her mind.

This was crazy. People couldn't actually read minds. But then, she was sensitive to others' emotions, so who was she to judge?

 _Startled._ She'd startled him? Ah, the wariness was back in force now.

"Close your books and computers. My teaching assistant will hand out the quiz. There are five problems on it. You have the next twenty minutes to complete the quiz. When you are finished, you may bring it down to the front and leave."

Did he say a quiz? Bella was so focused on the man that she missed the last ten minutes of the lecture. Amidst the rustling of paper and resigned bag-zipping, she gazed cautiously around the two-story classroom. No one appeared to be looking at her.

A flurry of muted admiration drew Bella's focus to the front of the room. The TA, it appeared, was garnering more than his fair share for feminine attention. Tall, wild reddish-brown hair, athletic build, defined jawline and cheekbones, black jeans, gray long-sleeved tee with the sleeves pushed up…yup, the whole package. _There are probably quite a few students who would love to unwrap that package_ , she thought sardonically. Most likely the poor guy is inundated with women requesting tutoring.

Bella noticed the corner of his mouth twitch up into a small wry smile as he handed a stack of quizzes to a wide-eyed blonde at the end of Row 12. No doubt he knew exactly the effect he had.

Focusing again on the still strangely clear emotional signal, Bella detected a combination of exasperation and curiosity. Perhaps he was watching the TA's progress as well? Now the tone became more concentrated, as if the man were seeking something.

She hoped he wasn't trying to find her. Oh shit, a touch of determination. He _was_ trying to find her. In spite of her curiosity, Bella wasn't so sure she wanted to be found. From what her father told her, many telepaths evidenced a strong megalomaniac streak which, in combination with their talent, made them exceptionally untrustworthy and dangerous.

Belatedly, she made an effort to mentally hide herself by focusing on the equations on the board. _I wish the TA would hurry up with that damn quiz_. She was pleased to note, however, that he kicked Pony-tailed Jerk's backpack under his seat. Finally the TA reached her row, and Bella turned her head to look at him. Wow, those eyes! Beautiful piercing gray-green under thick, straight brows. The next thing that registered was a sharp wave of victory. He'd found her.

 _It's you?_ thought Bella. His slight nod, in combination with that intense greenish gaze, triggered her flight instinct.

 _I need to get away from him_ , she thought with sudden panic. _I can't let anyone know_ … Her father's warning to never reveal her talent galloped back into her head. _Oh God, what had she done?_ She should have left as soon as she realized what was happening.

The TA had already moved on, but Bella felt calm emanating from him. Was he trying to tell her to calm down? Or perhaps he was attempting to calm himself down. She had the impression that she was right on both counts. Alright, the sense of approval she picked up just confirmed it. Maybe it would be OK. Maybe he was just curious.

Well, she was curious too. In all her twenty-three years Bella had never encountered another individual with any form of psy – parapsychological ability.

 _Alright Bella_ , her inner self rallied her. _Finish your quiz and get out of here._ Within five minutes she was gathering her stuff together and quietly treading down the concrete steps. Risking a glance at the TA in the front row, she saw that he was watching her with a mix of amazement and frustration. However, he gave no indication of wanting her to wait, so Bella hurried out.

Walking rapidly down the sidewalk toward her apartment, one clear thought existed in her spinning brain. She struggled with a pocket in her backpack, finally extracting her cell phone. It was time to call Dad.

"Charlie Swan."

"Hey Dad."

"What's wrong, Bells?"

What? How did he know? "Why do you think something is wrong? Can't a girl call her father just to say, 'Hi'?"

"I'm a cop, Bells, and you're my daughter. You never call me 'Dad' unless something's wrong. What happened?"

Charlie listened patiently to the entire tale of his daughter's first Research Methods class, asking a few pertinent questions here and there.

"What should I do, Dad?"

He huffed thoughtfully into the phone. "Did you get any dangerous vibes from him?"

Bella carefully replayed the emotional events of the morning. Curiosity, frustration, wariness…no anger or malice. With her father being the Chief of Police in Forks, Washington, she'd felt the emotions of violent criminals before. They were either empty or erratic. The TA's were neither.

"No," she finally responded. "I guess I just panicked."

Bella could almost hear her father thoughtfully stroking his dark mustache. "First, I suggest trying to get out of that class. Then you won't be in a situation where you're forced to be around him. I'll run him through the national database. What's his name?"

Oops. "I don't know. I'm sure it's on the online syllabus, though. I can let you know when I get back to my apartment."

"OK Bells. Oh jeez, I have a call coming in."

"I'll talk with you later then. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Bells."

As soon as Bella hung up, she became aware of a strong, clear sense of caution…and it wasn't coming from her. In fact, it came from around the corner that she just turned. She probably should have been nervous, but at the moment exasperation held the front spot in her emotions.

"If you want to talk to me, just say so," she commented dryly. She retraced her steps, meeting him head-on as he rounded the corner.

"Hi," the TA greeted her sheepishly. The charm of that crooked smile wasn't lost on her.

"You know that following someone is creepy, right?"

He shrugged. "I could tell what you were doing back there in class, and I had to know more about you." Catching her nervous thoughts, he quickly added, "I'm sorry. I won't do anything to harm you, I promise. I'm Edward Cullen, by the way."

"Bella Swan," she acknowledged, shaking the large, slim hand he held out. He looked startled as she seemed to feel every detail of his hand, right down to temperature variation and slightly calloused palms. She suspected he felt the same. It was a strangely pleasant sensation. They each dropped the other's hand immediately.

"Is that supposed to happen with people like us?" blurted Bella. _Way to make things more awkward. Next time think before you talk, Bella._

"Between clairvoyants?" He was equally puzzled. "I don't think so. I really didn't mean to make you nervous. At first I thought you may have been sent to find me, from the Institute, but then it was obvious that you were just as surprised as I was."

Bella frowned. "The Institute?"

The heavy sky had been threatening all morning, and now a few drops began falling on them. They both glanced up at the clouds before looking at each other questioningly. Bella didn't want to end their conversation yet.

Edward looked around the street quickly, then gestured toward a nearby Starbucks. "Join me for coffee?" When Bella hesitated, he added, "That's OK. I'm buying."

Bella couldn't help smiling at the hopeful note in his velvety voice. Jogging across the street together, she thought deliberately _, A good-looking guy invites me for coffee? Who am I to refuse?_

"You can always refuse," he smiled wryly as he held the door open for her. She didn't miss the uplifted emotions coming from him, though.

The coffee shop immediately wrapped them in warmth, the fire in the little fireplace and the barely-noticeable jazz music adding to the cozy ambience. The pair made small-talk while they waited in line. Bella cast an experienced eye over the menu above the cashier's head, deciding on a simple cup of brewed coffee. She didn't want to take advantage of Edward's kindness – or his wallet. A flash of exasperation drew her eyes back to her companion.

"Just get what you want, Bella. I'm having a grande latte." He bent a little closer to her and pointed at the bakery display case. "I also would like that fudge brownie over there, but it's too big. Split it with me?"

"You're just saying that because you know it's my favorite."

He shrugged. "It's mine too. You're giving me a good excuse to get it."

Bella rolled her dark eyes at him. "Fine. Thank you, Edward."

They found a small table in a hidden-away corner, stripped off their damp light-weight jackets, and sat down. Neither one seemed to know where to begin, so they both sat taking sips of their coffee, listening to the rain and trying to assess the other.

"Well, this is awkward," laughed Edward. "When I was sneaking after you, my plans didn't get as far as what to do if I actually met you."

Those beautiful eyes crinkled wonderfully at the corners. He truly had the most fascinating face she'd ever seen. If it weren't for her talent, he probably wouldn't even have noticed someone like her.

 _Focus, Bella_. "You don't strike me as the typical stalker," she teased. Something about this man made her both on-edge and comfortable. It was a strange combination.

"You're the first woman I've ever stalked," he admitted.

"Well, considering that it's obviously going to be difficult to keep secrets from each other," commented Bella dryly, "let's start with the basics. You're a psychology grad student?"

"Yes. I'm in my second year of the doctoral program, in the Brain, Behavior, and Cognition area. Dr. Weber, your Research Methods professor, is my advisor. What about you?"

"I'm a transfer student from the University of Washington, studying for my M.S. in psychology, although I'm thinking that I will focus on cognition and learning disabilities instead."

"So what made you transfer here to Chicago?"

"This school has both a top-rated psychology departments and one of the best LD programs in the country. I'm interested in exploring the connection between emotion and learning disabilities, so this is the place."

Edward smiled at her, his eyes warm with interest. "So basically, you're in an area where your gift could prove useful."

"Exactly! I'm so glad that someone else understands."

"It makes perfect sense to me, just as my interest is probably obvious to you." He took another sip of his latte. "So you just arrived here?"

Bella nodded. "Three days ago. What about you?"

"My…family…lives in one of the far northeast suburbs, but I have an apartment down here. I guess you haven't had a chance to check out the city then?"

She shook her head regretfully. "Not yet, although I've been studying the local transit maps. I plan to start exploring this weekend."

Bella picked up on his surprise, although he masked it quickly.

"You don't have a car?"

"Big Red, my old pick-up truck, wouldn't have survived the drive."

Edward's eyes widened slightly. "Your truck is a 1960's Chevy?"

OK, this mind-reading thing had the potential to be intrusive.

"Sorry." He really was, too. "Normally I can ignore what others are thinking, but you are just so clear. With most people, I catch only bits and pieces, unless the thought is intense."

Bella nodded. Yes, it was the same with her. "You are unusually clear to me, too. I don't understand it. Is it because you…"

"No, I don't think so. I have two friends, one like you and the other a precog." Edward's sensitive mouth twitched up at the corner. "The reception is still much clearer with you." Then Bella detected incredulity from him, as if he were struck with an illogical epiphany. He'd suddenly frozen with his brownie-laden fork half-way to his mouth.

"What is it?"

The handsome man across the table from her popped the chocolate treat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. His emotions, though, were in minor upheaval. In fact, he seemed intent on inspecting his fork for any missed icing.

Bella waited patiently…for about five seconds. What was wrong with him? "Edward, you're worrying me here."

She could tell he was struggling to appear nonchalant. "Edward, don't even try hiding. If you don't want me to know, just say so."

He finally looked at her, a small frown between his eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing. It's just that nature sometimes has a way of making sure that stronger mutations multiply as soon as possible."

What the hell? "I don't understand."

"My two friends are married…to each other. They also can sense each other much more purely than they can anyone else. Just before they met, Alice had the clearest vision of her entire life. She actually saw, in detail, Jasper walk into the café where she sat. She also saw his gift and several flashes of their future together. With that and him knowing how she felt at all times, it allowed for…matters to progress between them extremely fast."

By the end of his explanation, even the tips of poor Edward's ears were pink. Bella was certain that she must be as red as a tomato by now.

"That strange sensitivity? When we shook hands? Was that…?"

"Hypersensitivity to each other," he interrupted quickly. "Our gifts probably amplify any small attraction…shit, this is awkward." He ran his hand through his already messy hair.

Bella strove frantically to corral her thoughts. Closing her eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths, she mentally chanted, _It's OK, we'll work it out…we'll work it out…it's not a bad thing…we'll work it out…_

"Bella, please open your eyes," begged the man across the table softly. When she did, he continued, "You're right, we'll work it out. We're both highly intelligent adults, and, I think, budding friends?"

Bella had to smile at the hopeful note in his voice. "Yes, we are. And as your new friend I'm going to tell you to finish that brownie."

Edward laughed. Bella beamed at the sight. Edward's emotions held a perpetual melancholy undercurrent, as if he somehow felt that he couldn't be truly happy. She'd encountered the same emotion in people who had lost someone they loved dearly, or those who somehow felt undeserving of love in the first place. It saddened her to think that Edward fit into either of those categories.

They chatted about lighter topics for a few minutes before Edward's cell phone vibrated. Casting Bella an apologetic look, he reached into his pocket and answered.

"Hello? Yes, I'm in a café." By his increasing anxiety level, something was definitely wrong. Edward raised an index finger, meeting Bella's worried dark eyes as his listened. Then he stood up, grabbed his jacket, turned and walked a few steps away. It would be odd if she didn't know how stressed he was.

Bella quickly put on her windbreaker and backpack, gathered the empty cups and plates, and placed them into the used dish tubs. She could just barely make out what he was saying. Fortunately, her hearing was exceptionally good.

"What about the woman with me? Is it after her? Or is she the danger?" He faced Bella again, subtly gesturing for her to follow him. He walked confidently to the back of the store.

"Good, because there's no way in hell I'm leaving her behind." Edward's velvet voice was now a growl. "Thanks, Al." He closed the phone and stuffed it into his back jeans pocket. He then cast her an oddly pleading glance, as if willing her to read _his_ mind, before casually heading toward the employee exit at the rear.

Bella didn't even hesitate. Even if she couldn't detect Edward's urgency laced with fear, she knew they had to get out of there. There was something off…heavy…approaching, and her instinct was to flee.

The pair didn't speak as they moved quickly across the rear parking lot in the misty drizzle. _We need to get to a busy street_ , she thought. _Dammit, it looks so far away!_

Edward forced himself to calm down. There was no point in making his new friend panic. Bella had been staring determinedly at the approaching street, willing it to hurry up and get to them. Now she glanced up at the man walking next to her.

"We'll make it," he assured her softly, slightly out of breath from the pace they were keeping up. Bella nodded. She could tell he was right.

"Which way?" she asked when they reached the sidewalk.

Edward hesitated. "I think we evaded whatever that was. I'll take you home. I've probably done enough damage for one day."

"What?" _What does that mean,_ wondered Bella _. What damage? There's no way he's escaping without an explanation of what just happened._ Then her insecurities took over. _Stupid,_ she chastised herself. _He had no intention of talking with you in the first place, remember?_ _He's obviously had enough of your company._ Bella's stomach twisted painfully at that last thought.

"Whoa! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Edward hand on her elbow brought her to a halt. "You keep forgetting that I can read your thoughts, don't you?"

 _Damn! Yes, I do._

Edward's dazzling grin flashed briefly before he became serious again. "Bella, I'm not trying to get away from you." He blew out a tense breath. "That was my friend Alice who called. She had a vague glimpse of me having coffee with a young brunette woman, when suddenly a large dark cloud approached, threatening to engulf us."

Dark cloud? That drew Bella's attention from the pleasant tingling in her arm where he still held her.

"I felt it," she confirmed with a small frown. Unconsciously she stepped closer to Edward. "It was heavy, ominous. Could you hear anyone?"

He shook his head slowly, replaying the scenario in his mind. "Now that you mention it, it _is_ odd that I didn't hear anyone."

"Has this happened before?"

"No, not like this. What about to you?"

"No."

Edward released her arm and took a small step back. Bella didn't need her gift to interpret the pained expression on his handsome face.

"Bella, this is wrong. I can't get you involved. I don't know what I was thinking…" He took a couple more steps back.

There it was, more pronounced this time. The sense of utter loneliness and melancholy. Usually so careful to think things through, this time Bella made one of the few snap decisions of her life.

 _You were thinking that you could finally be yourself,_ she thought to him. _Let's go to my place, and you'll tell me about the Institute._

1


End file.
